Historian Jill Lepore Champions Living Constitution on PBS and at Davidson Town Hall

Harvard historian Jill Lepore appeared on PBS NewsHour today to discuss her new book, We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution, and will address a sold-out audience at Davidson Town Hall at 7 p.m. tonight.

Nut Graf Lepore argued that the Constitution was designed for amendment and warned that the nation risks stagnation without meaningful updates. Her remarks link scholarly insight to community engagement, highlighting both national discourse and local interest in constitutional reform.

Key Developments

  • PBS NewsHour Interview On Democracy series host Geoff Bennett probed Lepore on originalism vs. a living-document approach. Lepore emphasized that the framers built flexibility into the amendment process to prevent political violence and adapt governance over time.
  • Davidson Town Hall Event Main Street Books and DavidsonLearns report tickets sold out for Lepore’s 7 p.m. talk, where she’ll join poet Gabrielle Calvocoressi in conversation. Attendees receive a gift card toward her book purchase and a post-event signing.
  • Amendment Project Insights Lepore drew on the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded Amendments Project archive, which catalogs over 11,000 proposed amendments since 1789. She noted that only 27 have been ratified, with the last meaningful change in 1971.
  • Call for Civic Engagement Stressing that amendment is the democratic alternative to unrest, Lepore urged citizens and lawmakers to reclaim their constitutional prerogative and revive public imagination for peaceful change.

Subheadings and Bullet Points Aid Readability

  • Why It Matters: Without new amendments, polarization may drive change through courts or executive action, bypassing democratic processes.
  • Where to Learn More: Lepore’s book launches Sept. 16; her October cover story in The Atlantic expands on originalism’s limits.
  • How to Follow: A livestream of tonight’s event will be accessible via the NYPL website for remote audiences.

Short paragraphs, active verbs, and clear structure ensure the article remains concise and scannable for online readers.